which piece of equipment do you make the biggest mess with

[panikry83]

I cannot seem to use my racking cane without getting it all over the place on the floor on the wall all over my still does anyone else have this problem with any of their equipment

[shadylane]

The answer to that is simple, fruit press

[jedneck]

A five gallon bucket that I use to dip mash outta the fermentor. I ferment on the grain in a 55 gallon stainless barrel.

[FtW]

The mop wringer, I use it for pressing fruit & straining grain, seems like anything within 5 feet or so gets messy.

[pfshine]

Can't say on this site.

[S-Cackalacky]

Siphoning seems to be the biggest headache for me - especially for an on-the-grain ferment. Another big messy task is pressing grains. I used my butt press for the first time yesterday and although it got the job done and did it well, it was still a lot of clean up. I had 4 five gallon ferment buckets, 3 buckets for the butt press, and a five gallon mesh paint strainer to wash. And, the wet heavy spent grains to dispose of. I would say that butt pressing 16 gallons of fermented mash is a lot more work than setting up the still, doing a run, and breaking down. Distilling is a pleasure with a lot less mess after doing everything related to a ferment.

[The KYChemist]

If you use 5 gal buckets for ferments, this thing is worth every penny. Has a little bit of a learning curve. Once you turn it off, it dumps any liquid in it out of the bottom. I syphon off, till just above the grain bed. I then pull it out, still running, and put it in a two liter pitcher, really quick and then turn it off. That way, the grain bed isn't disturbed, and I can pour a little more clear liquid off, from the fermentor. I have my two buckets touching each other, with the two liter pitcher in the little nook between them, in the front. It has cut about 20-30 min off my racking time, for clearing the wash. Also works great for filling my keg, after the wash has cleared. I just make sure to take the batteries out, when I'm finished with it. I also run a lot of fresh water through it, to clean it out. At $15, ill gladly buy another, if and when this one dies. Also, my distilling space is coming along nicely, at the new house.

[S-Cackalacky]

Thanks The KYC! I found it here - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sierra-Tools-Li ... 4d26ab7152" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow and I think that I also saw it on Amazon. I think there may even be an "As Seen On TV" store in a mall I sometimes visit. Might come in real handy for refilling the boiler when doing multiple strips.

[The KYChemist]

Just remember... This thing doesn't have a whole lot of head lift. I keep my buckets even, and keep the top of my bucket even with the top of my keg, as best as I can. Never put what you're filling above the highest level of the liquid your syphoning off.

[humbledore]

The biggest mess I make is with a grain bag. I line a bucket with a huge grain bag, dump another 5G bucket of wash into it, lift and squeeze, then I dump the grains in a bag, and repeat until done. You just can't help but splash and drip and get bits of grain everywhere. I just gave up trying to not make a mess and just wipe and mop everything down afterwards. I have a cheap sponge mop right on hand for that.

[heartcut]

Definitely my brain.

[bearriver]

I've forgotten my cooling water on in the past. Woke up the next day to Lake Jordan in my stilling area.

[stevem1928]

I can't pour from a 1 gallon glass jar without having a small stream running back down the jar. It only happens when emptying the first half when the jar is not tipped much. I need to get a large glass pitcher to collect the stripping run or figure out a way to pour without the drip. holding the lip of the jar on the funnel seems to help some. A faster pour also helps, but overwhelms the funnel.

[The KYChemist]

I can't pour from a 1 gallon glass jar without having a small stream running back down the jar. It only happens when emptying the first half when the jar is not tipped much. I need to get a large glass pitcher to collect the stripping run or figure out a way to pour without the drip. holding the lip of the jar on the funnel seems to help some. A faster pour also helps, but overwhelms the funnel.

Hold a straw across the rim of the container. The surface tension should hold the liquid to the straw. We used to do the same thing in Chem class, but with glass rods and beakers. Not guaranteeing this will work, but it might.

[stevem1928]

I am not sure what you mean KYChemist. Do you mean to hold the straw down against the glass so the the liquid has to go above the straw, or hold the straw above the rim of the glass and let the liquid go under the straw? Or, are you saying to hold the straw somewhere on the collecting container?

[rad14701]

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

Where do you get a Teflon straw?

[heartcut]

Cut it from a piece of Teflon tubing

[Bushman]

This method works pretty good as I have used it when pouring gas into my boat on the water and not wanting to spill.

[rad14701]

1/4" copper tubing would work in place of a synthetic straw, as would a wooden dowel... Put on your thinking toque...

[MichiganCornhusker]

Drywall mixer in a half inch drill in a bucket of potatoes.

[Kegg_jam]

Corona mill and a cordless drill

[stevem1928]

Thanks for the clarification on pouring with the straw. I already tested it. It is amazing how so many people around here have answers to nearly everything. This trick should save me a 1/4 oz out of every gallon I pour.

[Drunk-N-Smurf]

All of them! I apparently can't even pick up a bottle of iodine without forgetting I alread unscrewed the cap and tossing the bottle across the floor...does iodine wash out of concrete?....lol

After my recent delve into all grain, my still room needs a MAJOR clean up. Between a bottle of iodine on the floor, to grain that boiled over, to a trillion glass bottles my friends have saved for me over the winter, and dozens of glasses I've used for cuts and to draw samples off my mashes, and so on and so forth, yeah...I need to make a few changes to my processes I think, and make my space more efficient.

[npstephe]

Straining out grain for me. I need to get a mop bucket. That and i tend to make a mess with the auto siphon. I also somehow use almost every single glass container I have before a mashing session is over.

[S-Cackalacky]

Straining out grain for me. I need to get a mop bucket. That and i tend to make a mess with the auto siphon. I also somehow use almost every single glass container I have before a mashing session is over.

I don't think there's any surefire way to avoid a mess while working with an AG mash. The mop bucket might make it easier, but probably not less messy. I use a butt press and it's quick and easy, but when I'm finished, I still have a bunch of buckets to clean up - not to mention the globs of spent grains that ultimately find their way to the floor and my clothes and shoes.

[npstephe]

I don't think there's any surefire way to avoid a mess while working with an AG mash. The mop bucket might make it easier, but probably not less messy. I use a butt press and it's quick and easy, but when I'm finished, I still have a bunch of buckets to clean up - not to mention the globs of spent grains that ultimately find their way to the floor and my clothes and shoes.

agreed. I just think the mop bucket might help get more out of the squeezing, instead of doing it by hand like I am now. I had to look up what you meant by butt press. ha! I also built a something similar a few months ago. drilled a bunch of holes in the bottom of a bucket that sat on a rack above another bucket. I used a 40lb weight in another bucket to squeeze. I ended up having to squeeze all that by hand a second time since it didnt get everything out. Talk about a mess.

[cranky]

I make a mess with everything I do can't help myself it just happens, maybe because I thrive in chaos. I think my biggest mess was made a few weeks ago with my cooling reservoir when the return hose came out and emptied the entire reservoir all over the garage floor. 2nd biggest mess was probably caused by a big bag of sugar I didn't realize was leaking until after I had walked through the garage and across the kitchen with it, leaving a big trail of sugar the whole way.

[S-Cackalacky]

No wonder you so damned cranky, Cranky.

[S-Cackalacky]

I don't think there's any surefire way to avoid a mess while working with an AG mash. The mop bucket might make it easier, but probably not less messy. I use a butt press and it's quick and easy, but when I'm finished, I still have a bunch of buckets to clean up - not to mention the globs of spent grains that ultimately find their way to the floor and my clothes and shoes.

agreed. I just think the mop bucket might help get more out of the squeezing, instead of doing it by hand like I am now. I had to look up what you meant by butt press. ha! I also built a something similar a few months ago. drilled a bunch of holes in the bottom of a bucket that sat on a rack above another bucket. I used a 40lb weight in another bucket to squeeze. I ended up having to squeeze all that by hand a second time since it didnt get everything out. Talk about a mess.

My butt press starts with a 6 gallon bottling pail w/faucet. Inside that I put a 5 gallon bucket with a bazillion holes. Inside that is a 5 gallon mesh paint strainer. I put in the mash with wash and grains straight from the ferment bucket. I fill a five gallon bucket with water and seal it with a lid. I set the bucket of water on the grains. I have a piece of clear 5/16" hose from the faucet to a 5 gallon plastic water jug. I can put two 5 gallon buckets of wash/grains in at a time - just have to wait for the wash level to drop to fit it all in. I also place some bricks on top of the water bucket for extra weight. I leave it sit for a half hour or so after most of the wash has drained out. I got about 13+ gallons of wash out of four 5 gallons buckets of fermented mash - started with 16 gallons of water for the mash. So, I lost about 2.5 gallons to the grains. I guess I could have done the work to get maybe another gallon out of it - didn't hardly seem worth the effort. Still a mess though.